Heliophorus epicles
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Heliophorus epicles, commonly known as the purple sapphire, is a species of lycaenid or blue butterfly found in Asia. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Godart in 1823. The subspecies of Heliophorus epicles are:
Apart from that they can be found from Kumaon in the Himalayas to southern Myanmar. They mainly inhabit in dense forest region. List of butterflies of India List of butterflies of India (Lycaenidae) Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society. Gaonkar, Harish (1996). Butterflies of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Purple Sapphire sighting in Tuen Mun on a given day, based on 96 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 40th most-seen of the 557 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September and November–December
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Purple Sapphire in Tuen Mun on a given day, against about 10% in February, April, June and August, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple Sapphire sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Purple Sapphire sightings, Tuen Mun has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Hong Kong (China, about 10%) and Guangzhou (China, under 5%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Purple Sapphire that you can see in Tuen Mun (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Pale Grass Blue (about 30%), Common Hedge Blue (about 30%) and Chocolate Royal (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple Sapphire is recorded against all the insects logged in Tuen Mun (96 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
